Construction patents and university-industry research interaction: An analysis of Nordic region data

In the context of university-industry interaction, little is known about construction patents. The purpose of this paper is to explore this aspect of construction innovation systems.

After a review of studies of academic interaction with the construction sector, applications for construction patents in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden for 2006-2010 were analysed. References to academic publications in US patent applications in three relevant classes were identified.

References to university interaction occur in construction patents, but only seldom and not for mechanical devices. Country differences in patent legislation, such as legal protection for utility models and concerning university ownership of patents, have little effect on construction patenting.

Further analyses of construction-specific relations between types of university-industry interaction are needed, as well as empirical studies of other regions.

Patterns found here should offer useful insights for firms designing their intellectual property strategies.

The findings suggest that government innovation strategies and internal university policies should recognise the wide variety of interactions with construction sector firms. Policies reflecting innovation systems in industries that depend highly on intellectual property rights should be reconsidered.

This analysis has exploited recent advances in searchable patent databases in several countries.